Thursday, July 29, 2010

Chanteuse

We can take it for granted that very few independent musicians will ever look at this blog, an easy bet since very few people of any description have ever looked at this blog, and that it is therefor statistically unlikely that any such musician or even fan of the kind of independent folk-rock played around Stanton Street would both read this blog and agree with the writer's political sentiments. An expectation that an artistic talent would be in any way correlated with political sensibilities shows a most unconservative presumption and will here be avoided. It is possible that musicians tend to be of the Left or more likely to either conform publicly to such views if they are thoughtful or uncritically absorb them because that is the dominating meme of the community they associate with. One should not be surprised to hear a musician playing in the Lower East Side say they felt a thrill at knowing that Obama was in town.

The quality of the performance and the talent of the composer are separate from their political views. That does not mean that in the name of Art anything can be excused. Ezra Pound was guilty as sin. Roman Polanski belongs in jail. Jane Fonda has blood on her hands. One of my favorite artists played tonight at the Living Room down on Ludlow Street. I first met her about ten or eleven years ago and at one time became reasonably familiar with her and her family. Since then she got divorced and moved to Nashville and for a few years I stopped following the music. Is she a Lefty? Her signature anti-war song was recorded by Judy Collins. She is talented and for all that it is worth I recommend Amy Speace.